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Tadious Manyepo Sports Reporter
DENVER MUKAMBA says he is a victim of malicious individuals who want to see him fall, even on occasions when he is battling long and hard to become a good person and better footballer. The former Warriors skipper has been enduring a tough time, with questions over his state of mind and he was kicked out of CAPS United after going AWOL for weeks.

He is now back at Dynamos, the team which had shipped him to the Green Machine, after he fell out with coach Lloyd Mutasa because of indiscipline.

The two have since resolved their differences and Mukamba played his first match for the Glamour Boys this year at Rufaro on Sunday.
He was the team’s star player as DeMbare edged ZPC Kariba 1-0.

However, there were some social media reports that he arrived at training in a drunken stupor and created problems.
Mukamba said he didn’t understand why he was always being targeted.
“A lot has been said and written about me, of course,” he told The Herald.

“I cannot waste a lot of time trying to be defensive, but what I can promise you at the moment is that my performance will do all the talking.”

Dynamos team manager, Richard Chihoro, appealed to the team’s fans to be patient with the player while dismissing the reports circulating in social media.

“Denver (Mukamba) is a human being, which means he can err and reform as well,” said Chihoro.
“He might have done some bad things in the past, but we have to appreciate the effort he is making in trying to reform.

“He has been working hard since he rejoined the team from CAPS United mid-season. What you saw on Sunday is simply the implementation of what he has been learning during training.

“The performance he gave on Sunday cannot be given by a player who is not working hard at training.
“So far, so good, in terms of his behaviour and we are all hopeful to see more of what he did on Sunday.

“He is back and will actually improve both on and off the field as we have sat down with him and he is willing to learn.”
Chihoro said Denver was now being targeted by those he claims find joy in seeing him in trouble.

“To then hear people saying that he has been causing commotion is very unfortunate. Today (yesterday), he trained with the rest of the squad in preparation of Wednesday’s (tomorrow) fixture against Yadah,” said Chihoro.

“As a club we get concerned if people target one of our players especially when we know that nothing is amiss in terms of the conduct.

“We have covered much ground in trying to re-align the player to lift him to the professional standards which we expect at the club.”

Dynamos coach Lloyd Mutasa says his troops need to remain focussed as they seek to rise from the bottom half of the table.
The Glamour Boys welcomed back Denver and Brett Amidu on Sunday.

“Obviously, you look at the experience they have and the shift they will bring to the team, I think it is needed in our team,” said Mutasa.

“The victory which we posted on Sunday will obviously act as a morale booster ahead of our tie against Yadah on Wednesday (tomorrow).

“You know, when you are not winning, it’s difficult to psyche the youngsters, but when they get a win, they become a bit motivated.

“But, they should keep their feet on the ground and should keep working hard. It is just unfortunate that we have dropped a lot of points in the past games.

“We were unlucky at times and we were not playing well at times. We are not impressed with the position we find ourselves in at the moment. We are a great footballing institution and for us to be where we are is just unacceptable.

“Now that we have won our first game, which also coincided with the return of Mukamba and Amidu, I hope we will keep our focus and continue to get the results which we need.”

DeMbare play Yadah in a tricky encounter at the National Sports Stadium tomorrow.
“Yadah might look like a small team, but their performances in their last games show that they are a team which is difficult to play against,” said Mutasa..

“They have good players, some of whom are national team material. They should be treated with respect.
“The match will obviously be tough. Yadah will be trying to recover from the defeat they suffered in their last encounter.”

Fixtures

Tomorrow: Harare City v FC Platinum (Rufaro); Bulawayo Chiefs v Mutare City (Luveve); Chapungu v Black Rhinos (Ascot), Yadah v Dynamos (NSS); ZPC Kariba v Nichrut (Nyamhunga); Ngezi Platinum v Shabanie (Baobab); Bulawayo City v Herentals (BF)
Thursday: CAPS United v Triangle (Rufaro); Highlanders v Chicken Inn (BF)